Apr 9, 2012

of epochs, excaliburs and editorials

after giving myself a break from taking orders, i am slowly getting back into it. it was break i should have taken earlier! this week i completed a new journal and an old old commission that i've been putting off becos i just couldn't do it. i hope she still wants it! i realized that if i ever get into this seriously, like having a studio and doing this full time, i need to find a way to get myself out of this kinda 'rut' situation where my mind's telling me to be responsible and go finish the commission, but my heart is acting like one of those spoiled Hollywood brats whose only vocab is 'NO'.

anyhow that brat's gone, and here's something new i made ... it began as an experiment but turned out pretty convincing. sometime ago i did an online class with Mr Supremely-Awemazing Michael deMeng (one of my 3 favorite artists of all time) and he taught us how to use something called caulk ... yea, the kind for home repairs. this could be a cheaper alternative to texture paste. so when i had this design in mind, i wanted to try his 'caulk' tip.

The Coming... this is called. "it is said that on the 21st day of the 12th month of the year 2012, the World as we know it shall end and a New Epoch shall begin ..."

the base of this cover was covered with the caulk substance and the raised areas is epoxy clay. you can see that after painting and aging, you actually couldn't tell between the 2 mediums! so that was pretty cool.next, is the commission that i was finally able to complete. it's a revisited version of my Nimloth of Eressea journal, but with a twist.

the
client wanted it to have a sword and a crest of some sort and wanted the
base to be forest-y green. something that a horseman of Rohan would
carry. and altho the sword comes from another fantasy game call
Warcraft, i thought it looked pretty lethal when put together in this
assemblage.

there's one last thing i wanted to share. last month i made a couple of earrings and listed them on etsy. one night i received an email from a sweet lady named Debbie Blair who turned out to be the Managing Editor for a magazine called Handcrafted Jewelry. and it turns out, they wanted me to do a tutorial on one of my earrings, to be featured in their Fall's 2012 magazine! YAY!!

i accepted and a tutorial on how to make "Ephemeral" will be coming out around September in the Fall 2012 issue of Handcrafted Jewelry :)

before i go, for those of you who are interested in caulk, this is how it looks like and one of the surfaces you can create with it. you need to buy the acrylic or paintable caulk. don't get the silicone base ones, cos you can't paint on them. comes in a huge tube and you'll have to get a 'gun' to use it ;)

so epic! congratulations on the invite to hj - your article will be wonderful... and the commissions came out great... i think your pattern is pretty in keeping with how many people feel - doing commissions is appreciated and a compliment, but it is hard to do sometimes... yours turned out beautifully... and how awesome is the caulk? i may need to try that out!thank you for sharing -

Wow the Caulk looks an amazing medium and yet again you have created such a unique piece, and what a piece of art it is, out of this world. Your commission is stunning, you work so hard to achieve such unique results and your efforts are so worthwhile. Huge congratulations on your publication, well deserved and there will be many more I'm sure. Tracy x

Crazy all those different materials you use. Who Knew Caulk wasn't just for bathroom redo's! Plus, you find the craziest stuff for those beautiful little books. I think it's always good to "step away" from all the commitments. I feel just like you do - it's weird, but obviously needed. You have to center yourself now and a again. You're just getting published all over the dang place - you rule Girl!!

L-great to see you back into it; and of course you would be trying out some new modern way to make ordinary materials look aged and mysterious. The caulk really worked for you. The pieces are great - I think the client should be pleased with the journal. And good to have you back sharing. Does that mean the treadmill has done its job and you are fit etc etc again?. Go well. B

I do know just what you mean about having to push yourself with certain projects, lol. I absolutely love to create, but somehow when I "have" to create something in particular the sassy brat inside me says...you're not the boss of me, I'd rather do this or that! It's a constant lifelong struggle between me and that little brat inside, lol. :-)

Luthien!! You just keep outdoing yourself..the journals are so beautiful...I love the sword...very LOTR!!! I never thought of caulk for a medium on a book...what fantastic texture...

Beautiful work and be kind to yourself...we all get into ruts...especially where you are raising a little one who is now running...LOL Have fun and savor every minute......I actually miss those days...:)

Wow, your books are fabulous! I love the caulking technique. How fun and it really does look so good. I am definitely going to try that. Congratulations on the request for a tutorial for a pair of your gorgeous earrings. Thanks for popping in and saying hello today. It brought a smile to my face. xo,Tammy

Wonderful newsy post! It's great you are getting back into things! I love your new creations and congratulations on the magazine feature, that is fabulous Luthien!! Can't wait to see it? How can we see it? Go the treadmill running! :)

I can so relate to your creative ruts. Sometimes I'm "off" and sometimes I'm "on" when it comes to working on my Creations... even if I have a commissioned piece. I've found that I cannot force it when I don't feel like Creating or it just doesn't flow effortlessly and the Creation suffers for it. It is always difficult not to feel guilty though when someone is waiting on a piece or wants to place an order and I just don't have it in me to take another order because I've not knuckled down or flowing in the Zone of Creativity. So glad you were able to become Inspired to Create again and the results as always are magnificent! I'm certain every piece you Create has been worth waiting for because anything worth having it worth waiting upon.